The Mississippi River - Page Text Content

1: The Spanish and French were the first Europeans to explore and colonize the river basin in the 1500s and 1600s. The British then joined them, and then the fur trade became very profitable.

2: From flatboats to steamboats, life on the Mississippi was a world apart from life on land. In addition to travel and cargo, there were even river pirates!

3: With the invention of steam people started to demand accommodation. Floating palaces appeared with gambling parlors and beautifully decked saloons. Showboats even provided dockside entertainment.

4: There are a lot of historic legends associated with the Mississippi river. Alton, an Illinois river town, claims to be the "most haunted small town in America." New Orleans, Louisiana has more than its share of "ghosts" plus a mixture of Creole and Cajun culture, voodoo rituals, and the crazy celebrations of Mardi Gras.

5: Bibliography The River Learned http://www.pbs.org/marktwain/scrapbook/02_old_times/page3.html The Mississippi River http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/Exhibits/MTP/mississippi.html River Boats or Paddle Wheel Boats http://www.linecamp.com/museums/americanwest/define_the_west/river_boats/river_boats.html Old Man River: History Along the Mississippi http://hoover.archives.gov/exhibits/Mississippi/index.html Mississippi River http://www.umesc.usgs.gov/umesc_about/about_umrs.html Websites about Steamboat History http://www.steamboats.org/links-webcams/history-links.html